Method for signaling ran profile index and radio communication equipment using the same

ABSTRACT

A method includes transmitting a RAN profile indexing message from a cell to a user equipment (UE) within the cell&#39;s radio coverage, the RAN profile indexing message comprising a plurality of sets of RAN parameters corresponding to a plurality of physical layer configurations, and a plurality of indices corresponding to the plurality of sets of RAN parameters. The method also includes transmitting a downlink control information message to the UE indicating a resource block allocated for the UE, and an index corresponding to one of the plurality of sets of RAN parameters. The method further includes performing a RAN profile indexing operation to define the plurality of sets of RAN parameters corresponding to a plurality of physical layer configurations, and assigning the plurality of indices to the plurality of sets of RAN parameters.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

The present application is related to provisional U.S. PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/369,847 filed Aug. 2, 2016, entitled “METHOD FORSIGNALING RAN SLICING INDEX AND RADIO COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT USING THESAME,” Attorney Docket No. US60408 (hereinafter referred to as “US60408application”). The disclosure of the US60408 application is herebyincorporated fully by reference into the present application.

FIELD

The present application generally relates to wireless communications,and pertains particularly to a method for signaling radio access network(RAN) profile indexing and radio communication equipment using the same.

BACKGROUND

New Radio (NR) has been discussed in the 3rd Generation PartnershipProject (3GPP) as a key technology for supporting the operation of thenext generation (the fifth generation (5G)) wireless network. NRtechnology is expected to provide flexible radio protocol structure andarchitecture to accommodate a wide variety of service scenariorequirements, such as high throughput, high reliability, low latency,and lower energy consumption.

RAN slicing (also referred to as RAN profile) is envisioned as one ofthe key enabling technology for NR. It is desirable for a cell todynamically configure the RAN profile settings to accommodate thecommunication capability and service requirements of each user equipmentin the cell. However, significant signaling overhead may be requiredevery time the UE communicates (e.g., transmission/reception) with abase station, resulting in a waste of network resources and significantenergy consumption.

Thus, there is a need in the art for a method for providing RAN profileinformation with reduced signaling overhead and latency.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the exemplary disclosure are best understood from thefollowing detailed description when read with the accompanying figures.Various features are not drawn to scale, dimensions of various featuresmay be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a RAN profile indexing operation for aradio communication system, according to an exemplary implementation ofthe present application.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method for signaling RAN profileindexing, according to an exemplary implementation of the presentapplication.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a cell-specific RAN profile indexingoperation, according to an exemplary implementation of the presentapplication.

FIG. 4A is a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling RAN profileindexing under a cell-specific RAN profile architecture, according to anexemplary implementation of the present application.

FIG. 4B is a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling RAN profileindexing, according to an exemplary implementation of the presentapplication.

FIG. 4C is a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling RAN profileindexing after a predefined time interval, according to an exemplaryimplementation of the present application.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a user-specific RAN profile indexingoperation, according to an exemplary implementation of the presentapplication.

FIG. 6A is a flowchart illustrating a method for a UE to communicatewith a cell, according to an exemplary implementation of the presentapplication.

FIG. 6B is a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling RAN profileindexing under a user-specific RAN profile architecture, according to anexemplary implementation of the present application.

FIG. 6C is a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling RAN profileindexing under a user-specific RAN profile architecture, according to anexemplary implementation of the present application.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of an indexing format in the form of an informationelement, according to an exemplary implementation of the presentapplication.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a bitmap indexing format, according to anexemplary implementation of the present application.

FIG. 9A is a diagram illustrating a method for RAN profile signaling,according to an exemplary implementation of the present application.

FIG. 9B is a diagram illustrating a method for RAN profile signaling,according to an exemplary implementation of the present application.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a radio communication equipment,according to an exemplary implementation of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description contains specific information pertaining toimplementations in the present application. The drawings in the presentapplication and their accompanying detailed description are directed tomerely exemplary implementations. Unless noted otherwise, like orcorresponding elements among the figures may be indicated by like orcorresponding reference numerals. Moreover, the drawings andillustrations in the present application are generally not to scale, andare not intended to correspond to actual relative dimensions.

For the purpose of consistency and ease of understanding, like featuresare identified (although, in some examples, not shown) by numerals inthe exemplary figures. However, the features in differentimplementations may be differed in other respects, and thus shall not benarrowly confined to what is shown in the figures.

The description uses the phrases “in one implementation,” or “in someimplementations,” which may each refer to one or more of the same ordifferent implementations. The term “coupled” is defined as connected,whether directly or indirectly through intervening components, and isnot necessarily limited to physical connections. The term “comprising,”when utilized, means “including, but not necessarily limited to”; itspecifically indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in theso-described combination, group, series and the equivalent.

Additionally, for the purposes of explanation and non-limitation,specific details, such as functional entities, techniques, protocols,standard, and the like are set forth for providing an understanding ofthe described technology. In other examples, detailed description ofwell-known methods, technologies, system, architectures, and the likeare omitted so as not to obscure the description with unnecessarydetails.

Persons skilled in the art will immediately recognize that any networkfunction(s) or algorithm(s) described in the present disclosure may beimplemented by hardware, software or a combination of software andhardware. Described functions may correspond to modules may be software,hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. The softwareimplementation may comprise computer executable instructions stored oncomputer readable medium such as memory or other type of storagedevices. For example, one or more microprocessors or general purposecomputers with communication processing capability may be programmedwith corresponding executable instructions and carry out the describednetwork function(s) or algorithm(s). The microprocessors or generalpurpose computers may be formed of applications specific integratedcircuitry (ASIC), programmable logic arrays, and/or using one or moredigital signal processor (DSPs). Although some of the exemplaryimplementations described in this specification are oriented to softwareinstalled and executing on computer hardware, nevertheless, alternativeexemplary implementations implemented as firmware or as hardware orcombination of hardware and software are well within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

The computer readable medium includes but is not limited to randomaccess memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), erasable programmableread-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-onlymemory (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc read-only memory (CD ROM),magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage, or any otherequivalent medium capable of storing computer-readable instructions.

The present application provides a method for signaling RAN parametersadopting a RAN profile indexing mechanism to facilitate the transmissionand reception operations, where the RAN profile indices correspond tothe physical layer configurations between a cell in a radio accessnetwork and at least one mobile station (e.g., a UE). By using theindexing mechanism to indicate the RAN profile information, the amountof signaling overhead and latency incurred for RAN profile may begreatly reduced, while supporting the flexibility of NR network system.

A radio communication network architecture (e.g., a long term evolution(LTE) system, a LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) system, or a LTE-Advanced Prosystem) typically includes at least one base station, at least one userequipment (UE), and one or more optional network elements that provideconnection towards a network. The UE communicates with the network(e.g., a core network (CN), an evolved packet core (EPC) network, anEvolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) network, aNext-Generation Core (NGC), or an internet), through a radio accessnetwork (RAN) established by the base station.

It should be noted that, in the present application, a UE may include,but is not limited to, a mobile station, a mobile terminal or device, auser communication radio terminal. For example, a UE may be a portableradio equipment, which includes, but is not limited to, a mobile phone,a tablet, a wearable device, a sensor, or a personal digital assistant(PDA) with wireless communication capability. The UE is configured toreceive and transmit signals over an air interface to one or more cellsin a radio access network.

A base station may include, but is not limited to, a node B (NB) as inthe LTE, an evolved node B (eNB) as in the LTE-A, a radio networkcontroller (RNC) as in the UMTS, a base station controller (BSC) as inthe GSM/GERAN, a new radio evolved node B (NR eNB) as in the NR, a nextgeneration node B (gNB) as in the NR, and any other apparatus capable ofcontrolling radio communication and managing radio resources within acell. The base station may connect to serve the one or more UEs througha radio interface to the network.

A base station may be configured to provide communication servicesaccording to at least one of the following radio access technologies(RATs): Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), GlobalSystem for Mobile communications (GSM, often referred to as 2G), GSMEDGE radio access Network (GERAN), General Packet Radio Service (GRPS),Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS, often referred to as3G) based on basic wideband-code division multiple access (W-CDMA),high-speed packet access (HSPA), LTE, LTE-A, New Radio (NR, oftenreferred to as 5G), and/or LTE-A Pro. However, the scope of the presentapplication should not be limited to the above mentioned protocols.

The base station is operable to provide radio coverage to a specificgeographical area using a plurality of cells forming the radio accessnetwork. The base station supports the operations of the cells. Eachcell is operable to provide services to at least one UE within its radiocoverage indicated by 3GPP TS 36.300, which is hereby also incorporatedby reference. More specifically, each cell (often referred to as aserving cell) provides services to serve one or more UEs within itsradio coverage, (e.g., each cell schedules the downlink and optionallyuplink resources to at least one UE within its radio coverage fordownlink and optionally uplink packet transmissions). The base stationcan communicate with one or more UEs in the radio communication systemthrough the plurality of cells. A cell may allocate sidelink (SL)resources for supporting proximity service (ProSe). Each cell may haveoverlapped coverage areas with other cells.

As discussed above, the frame structure for NR is to support flexibleconfigurations for accommodating various next generation (e.g., 5G)communication requirements, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB),massive machine type communication (mMTC), ultra reliable communicationand low latency communication (URLLC) more efficiently, while fulfillinghigh reliability, high data rate and low latency requirements. Theorthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) technology as agreedin 3GPP may serve as a baseline for NR waveform. The scalable OFDMnumerology, such as the adaptive sub-carrier spacing, the channelbandwidth, and the Cyclic Prefix (CP) may be also used. Additionally,three candidate coding schemes are considered for NR: (1) low-densityparity-check (LDPC), (2) Polar Code, and (3) Turbo Code. The codingscheme adaption may be configured based on the channel conditions and/orthe service applications.

Moreover, it is also considered that in a transmission time interval Txof a single NR frame, a downlink (DL) transmission data, a guard period,and an uplink (UL) transmission data should at least be included, wherethe respective portions of the DL transmission data, the guard period,the UL transmission data should also be configurable, for example, basedon the network dynamics of NR.

According to exemplary implementations of the present application,various RAN profile techniques are adopted to support theabove-mentioned flexibilities in NR. FIG. 1 shows a diagram illustratinga RAN profile operation of a cell, according to an exemplaryimplementation of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1, a cellmay assign different resource blocks (RBs) RB1, RB2, RB3, RB4, and RB5to different UEs in a radio access network. Each RB represents a set ofradio resource including, but is not limited to, a group of resourceelements spanning a number of subcarriers in the frequency domain and anumber of symbols in the time domain. Each RB may be configured toprovide different PHY configurations. As shown in FIG. 1, thetransmission of sub-frame 101 precedes the transmission of sub-frame103.

A PHY configuration may comprise a OFDM numerology, a sub-carrierspacing, a transmission type (e.g., DL, guard, SL, or UL), a codingscheme, a modulation scheme, a transmission mode, and the like.Additionally, a specific RAN profile may be configured for a controlchannel (e.g., physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)) between thecell and each of the UEs within the respective cell coverage areas.

Different resource blocks may have the same or different PHYconfigurations depending on the scheduling operation. For instance, RB1may be configured with 15 kHz sub-carrier spacing, 0.25 ms transmissiontime interval (TTI), LDPC coding for DL transmission, while RB2 may beconfigured with 60 kHz sub-carrier spacing, 0.75 ms TTI, and Turbocoding for UL transmission. The cell (e.g., eNB in LTE/LTE-A, NR eNB inNR, or NR gNB in NR) may allocate resource blocks RB1 and RB2 to UE1 andUE2, respectively, within sub-frame 101 depending on the capabilities ofUE1 and UE2.

The cell may re-configure the PHY configurations in the nexttransmission frame (e.g., sub-frame 103) depending on the requiredtransmission/reception criteria, such as the channel quality (e.g., CQI)between the cell and the UE, the service requirement of the UE and/orthe available network resource. For example, sub-frame 103 may have RB1having the same block size as RB1 in sub-frame 101, but with a differentPHY configuration. The size of each resource block may be variable andmay be dynamically configured based on the scheduling operation. Forexample, the size of RB5 allocated in sub-frame 101 is larger than thesize of RB5 in sub-frame 103.

Since a cell can dynamically configure RAN profile settings based on thenetwork operation or applications, the cell may need to constantlycommunicate with the one or more UEs within its cell coverage and sendthe physical layer configuration adoption information to the UEs for theUEs to be able to properly encode/decode the corresponding RBs,accordingly.

Accordingly, implementations of the present application provide RANprofile indication signaling mechanisms for a NR communication systemcapable of reducing the amount of signaling overhead resulting fromthese dynamical PHY configurations, thereby reducing the radio resourceconsumption during transmission as well as the latency incurred betweenend-to-end transmissions.

According to an exemplary implementation of the present application, anew radio communication system includes at least one base station and atleast one UE. The base station provides a radio coverage for a specificgeographical area forming a radio access network using a plurality ofcells. The cells are communicatively linked to a base station, and thebase station coordinates the operations of the cells. The cells may haveone or more overlapped coverage areas. Each cell operatively allocatesand schedules downlink and uplink resources to the respective UE withinits cell coverage. Each cell may further allocate sidelink (SL)resources for supporting proximity service (ProSe) communication.

Each cell performs a RAN profile indexing operation and defines aplurality sets of RAN parameters, which corresponds to a plurality ofPHY configurations (e.g., PHY configuration 1 through PRY configurationM, where M is an integer). Each cell may dynamically apply one or morePHY configurations based on at least one of the channel conditions, theamount of network resource available, and the capability of the UEpresent in its cell coverage. According to implementations of thepresent application, a set of RAN parameters of a PHY configuration mayinclude, but is not limited to a sub-carrier spacing value (e.g., OFDMsub-carrier spacing), a channel coding mode, a multiplexing mode, amodulation mode, a frame type mode, a TTI interval value, a cyclicprefix length value, and a transmission mode, which the UE should followand process PHY layer signals accordingly upon packettransmission/reception.

During the execution of the RAN profile indexing operation, each cellassigns each RAN profile PHY configuration 1 through PHY configuration Nwith a corresponding index (e.g., Indices 1 through N, wherein N is aninteger). Each index has a specific mapping with a PHY configuration(e.g., L1 configuration in LTE/LTE-A system). The indices 1 through Nand the RAN profile PHY configurations 1 through N have one to onecorrespondences. For example, Index 1 may be configured to correspond toPHY configuration 1; Index 2 may be configured to correspond to PHYconfiguration 2 and so on.

Thereafter, each cell can simply transmit an index corresponding aparticular set of RAN parameters, which in turn corresponds to aparticular RAN profile PHY configuration. That is, the index representsthe type of RAN profile applied to the corresponding RB assigned to thecorresponding UE during subsequent transmission, thereby greatlyreducing the signaling overhead and the latency that may incur.

In one implementation, each cell may periodically signal the RAN profileadaption by broadcasting the index or indices to facilitate thetransmission and reception operations between the cell and therespective one or more UEs in the cell after executing the RAN profileindexing operation.

In some implementations, each cell may send the RAN profile indexinginformation to one or more UEs within its cell coverage using unicasttransmission, for example, when a UE enters the cell coverage or uponreceiving the request for system information (SI) from the UE.

FIG. 2 shows a diagram illustrating a method for signaling RAN profileindexing, according to an exemplary implementation of the presentapplication.

In block 210, a cell (e.g., NR eNB/gNB in NR system or eNB in LTE/LTE-A)transmits (e.g., periodically or aperiodically) a RAN profile indexingmessage to one or more UEs within its cell coverage, for example, usinga broadcasting channel (BCH). The RAN profile indexing message at leastcontains information on RAN profile settings having a plurality of setsof RAN parameters, and a plurality of indices corresponding to theplurality of sets of RAN parameters. Each of the plurality of sets ofRAN parameters correspond to a specific PHY configuration. A UE (e.g.,UE 1), upon receiving the RAN profile indexing message, stores the RANprofile indexing information received for subsequentcommunication/reception operations.

In block 220, the cell transmits the RAN profile indexing message to theUE (e.g., UE 1) using a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message in aPhysical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). The DCI message may compriseresource block allocation information and an index corresponding to oneof the plurality of sets of RAN parameters for a specific RAN profile.For example, when the cell decides to allocate a specific resource block(e.g., RB1 of FIG. 1) in a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), inwhich the PHY configuration 2 is applied for downlink (DL) transmissionto the UE (e.g., UE 1), the DCI message may contain informationindicating RB1 allocation and Index 2.

In one implementation, the cell may allocate the resource block withinthe PDSCH through a scheduling operation. Scheduling may involve knownresource allocation techniques in the art, the descriptions of which arehereby omitted for brevity.

In block 230, the UE decodes the DCI message received from the cell, andobtains the resource block allocation information (i.e., the allocationof assigned RB (e.g., RB1) in the PDSCH and the corresponding RANprofile index (e.g., Index 2)). Based on the RAN profile index, the UEfurther retrieves the PHY configuration for the subsequent communicationwith the cell.

In block 240, the cell transmits a PDSCH containing the downlink datafor the UE in the allocated resource block (e.g., RB1) to the UE. Inblock 250, the UE decodes the allocated/assigned resource block (e.g.,RB1) in the PDSCH according to the PHY configuration corresponding tothe RAN profile index (e.g., index 2). By using the indexing mechanismfor RAN profile, the UE can decode the DL transmission data with theindex information received from the serving cell without requiringadditional PHY configuration information, thereby reducing signalingoverhead and latency.

In one implementation, the cell may execute a RAN profile indexingoperation and update RAN profile settings (e.g., modifies RANparameters) upon receiving the request for system information from oneor more UEs within its cell coverage. The cell may then transmit theupdates or the changes to the RAN profile settings to the respective UEswithin its cell coverage.

In one implementation, the cell may execute the RAN profile indexingoperation and update RAN profile settings upon receiving a report fromthe core network (CN) indicating the backhaul capability and types ofservice application processing. The cell may then broadcast the updatesor the changes to the RAN profile settings to notify the UEs within itscell coverage.

In one implementation, it may be advantageous to allocate at least oneresource block (RB) with respective indices to the same UE. In anotherimplementation, it may be advantageous to allocate the same RB with therespective indices to different UEs. In yet another implementation, itmay be advantageous to allocate different RBs with the same index todifferent UEs.

For example, when a cell is communicating with two UEs (e.g., UE 1 andUE 2) within its cell coverage, the cell may allocate the same resourceblock to both UEs, but assigning different indices indicating differentmodulation schemes. For example, the cell may require UE 1 to applynon-orthogonal multiplexing upon receiving the assigned RB, and requireUE 2 to apply orthogonal multiplexing upon receiving the assigned RB.

In one implementation, the base station may comprise a plurality ofradio communication equipments. The plurality of radio communicationequipments is configured to support the operation the plurality ofcells. More specifically, the radio communication equipments may each beconfigured to allocate uplink, downlink, and/or sidelink resources toone or more UEs within its cell coverage. The radio communicationequipments may each include a built-in memory configured to store theindexing, the RAN profile information and the relation to the physicallayer configurations of the corresponding cell.

It is worthy to note that the RAN profile indexing operation may beeither cell-based (cell-specific RAN profile) or user-based(user-specific RAN profile) depending on the service requirement andcapability of the UE and/or the network resource and system capabilityof the cell. In other words, RAN profile may be performed based on theoverall cell dynamics or performed to accommodate the communicationcapability of the UE. Various implementations on signaling RAN profileindexing in a radio communication system are next described.

Cell-Specific RAN Profile Indexing Implementation

In a cell-specific RAN profile scenario, the RAN profile indexing andphysical layer configuration mapping may be common for all serving UEswithin the radio coverage of a specific cell. However, different cellsmay have their own indexing mechanisms and physical layer configurationmappings within their cell coverages.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cell-specific RAN profile operation, according toan exemplary implementation of the present application. Exemplary radiocommunication system 300 includes a radio access network (RAN) and acore network (CN). The RAN comprises cell 310 a and cell 310 b. Eachcell (e.g., cell 310 a/310 b) covers a geographical area. The radiocoverage of cells 310 a and 310 b may have an overlapped geographicalarea as depicted in FIG. 3. Cells 310 a and 310 b are communicativelylinked to a base station (e.g., a physical base station, not explicitlyshown in FIG. 3). The operations of cells 310 a and 310 b arecoordinated by the base station. Radio communication system 300 furtherincludes UEs 313 a and 313 b presently located within the radio coverageof cell 310 a. UE 313 b is moving toward cell 310 b, such that ahandover procedure may be implemented to UE 313 b. During the handoverprocedure, cell 310 a is the source cell and cell 310 b is the targetcell. Cell 310 a may adopt the indices 1 through 9 for indicating PHYconfigurations 1 through 9, respectively. Cell 310 b may adopt indices1′ through 9′ for indicating PHY configurations 1′ through 9′,respectively.

Radio communication equipment 311 a may be deployed in cell 310 a toprovide the radio converge to the corresponding cell area. Radiocommunication equipment 311 a communicates with the base station, andprovides services to UEs 313 a and 313 b. Radio communication equipment311 b may be deployed in cell 310 b to provide the radio converge to thecorresponding cell area. Radio communication equipment 311 bcommunicates with the base station, and provides services to the UEswithin its cell coverage.

FIG. 4A is a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling RAN profileindexing provided in accordance to FIG. 3. The method is applicable toboth cells 310 a and 310 h in FIG. 3. For brevity, only cell 310 a isused as an example for a detailed elaboration of the cell-specific RANprofile operation below.

In block 431, cell 310 a configures a plurality of sets of RANparameters, each of which maps to a corresponding one of a plurality ofphysical layer configurations (e.g., PHY configurations). In block 433,cell 310 a assigns an index to each set of the RAN parameters. Forexample, cell 310 a may assign indices 1 through 9 to PHY configurations1 through 9, respectively. In block 435, cell 310 a broadcasts a RANprofile indexing message to all UEs within its cell coverage, where theRAN profile indexing message contains information on the RAN profilesettings (e.g., the plurality of sets of RAN parameters) and thecorresponding indices. Cell 310 a may broadcast the RAN profile indexingmessage to all UEs within its cell coverage at predetermined (periodicor aperiodic) time intervals. In block 437, cell 310 a transmits a DCImessage to a UE within its cell coverage to allocate resources to theUE, where DCI message may indicate a resource block (RB) allocated forthe UE, and an index corresponding to one of the plurality of sets ofRAN parameters. In block 439, cell 310 a transmits downlink data to theUE in the allocated/assigned resource block in a PDSCH.

In one implementation, the CN in radio communication system 300 mayrecommend the indexing and the PHY configuration to cells 310 a and 310h based on the operating criteria of the CN, such as backhaulcapability. Different cells may require different PHY configurations tofulfill the end-to-end latency requirements. In one implementation, theCN may include one or more network elements for configuring RAN profileoperation based on backhaul capability between the cells in radiocommunication system 300. In another implementation, the CN may informthe cells based on the backhaul capability, and the cells may configurethe RAN profile indexing taking the backhaul capability intoconsideration.

In one implementation, cells 310 a and 310 b may adopt the same indexingmechanism. For example, the PHY configurations 1 through 9 of theindices 1 through 9 for cell 310 a may be the same as that of indices 1′through 9′ of the cell 310 b. More specifically, a default and commonindex table may be used in radio communication system 300 for describingthe associating physical layer configurations, where the default andcommon index table may be provided by the CN and recorded in the UEcapability profile. In such scenarios, cells 310 a and 310 b are notrequired to provide physical layer configuration mappings. Rather, cells310 a and 310 b may provide indices that are supported within theircoverages through broadcasting or unicasting transmission.

In one implementation, cells 310 a and 310 b may adopt differentindexing mechanisms. For example, the indices 1 through 9 correspondingto the PHY configurations 1 through 9 adopted by cell 310 a may bedifferent from the indices 1′ through 9′ corresponding to the PHYconfigurations 1′ through 9′ adopted by cell 310 b. Each cell (e.g.,cell 310 a/310 b) may signal its indexing and physical layerconfigurations mapping information within its coverage to the servingUEs through broadcast or unicast transmission.

In one implementation, the cell may transmit the RAN profile indexinginformation to the UE based on a request for system information receivedfrom the UE. Specifically, when a UE (e.g., UE 313 b) moves from onecell coverage (e.g., the radio coverage of cell 310 a) to a neighboringcell coverage (e.g., the radio coverage of cell 310 b), a RAN profileindexing acquisition procedures may be required. UE 313 b may perform aRAN profile indexing acquisition procedure. In one implementation,according a RAN profile indexing acquisition procedure, a serving cellmay exchange the adopted RAN profile indexing and physical layerconfiguration mapping information with a target cell upon receiving areport from a UE indicating that the channel quality of the target cellis better than the serving cell after a predetermined time. The targetcell may feedback a RAN profile indexing difference (in comparison tothe serving cell) to the serving cell, and thereafter, the serving cellmay signal the difference in a unicast message to the UE. The sourcecell may deliver (1) the physical layer configurations which the UEcould support to the target cell; and (2) the source cell's RAN profileindexing and physical layer configuration mapping information, which areconfigured to the UE, to the target cell. So, the target cell can createthe RAN profile indexing difference based on the given information.

More specifically, FIG. 4B shows a flowchart illustrating a method forsignaling RAN profile information based on a request for systeminformation from a UE provided in accordance with FIG. 4A of the presentapplication.

In block 441, a cell (e.g., cell 310 b) receives a request (e.g., arequest for system information) from a UE (e.g., UE 313 b) within itscell coverage, where the UE requests for the transmission of the RANprofile indexing information and the physical layer configurationmapping information, for example, using a physical uplink controlchannel (PUCCH). In block 443, the cell (e.g., cell 310 b) may transmitthe RAN profile indexing message containing the RAN profile indexing andthe physical layer configuration mapping information to the UE, forexample, in a unicast manner.

As mentioned above, each of cells 310 a and 310 b may reconfigure andchange its RAN profile indexing based on the channel quality between thecell and the corresponding UEs, the network system capability, or therecommendation from the CN. The cell may communicate with one or moreUEs in its cell coverage using a radio resource control (RRC) message(e.g., an RRCConnectionReconfiguration message) in a downlink sharedchannel to indicate the RAN profile changes thereafter.

In one implementation, the cell may reconfigure its RAN indexing andphysical layer configuration mapping information either semi-staticallyor dynamically. For example, the RAN profile may be updated or changedat a specific period of time. The radio communication equipment at thecell and/or the UE may be equipped with a timing element, which isconfigured to count to a predetermined time after the cell transmits theRAN profile indexing information to one or more UEs within its cellcoverage. Before the timing element counting to the predetermined time,the cell may not make any updates to its current RAN profile indexingand PHY configurations. In other words, after the cell had justtransmitted the RAN profile indexing information, the UE does not haveto keep tracking the indexing and physical layer configuration mappinginformation until after the predetermined time expires.

FIG. 4C shows a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling RANprofile indexing after a time interval provided, according to anexemplary implementation of the present application.

In block 451, after a cell (e.g., cell 310 a) broadcasts a current RANprofile indexing message within its cell coverage, for example, using aBCH, the cell operatively initiates a timer counting apredetermined/predefined time interval (e.g., a modification period). Inone implementation, the predetermined/predefined time interval may beconfigured to be 80 ms as indicated in 3GPP TS 36.331, which is herebyincorporated by reference. The predetermined/predefined time intervalmay be configured by a system information (SI) message.

In block 452, the cell (e.g., cell 310 a) determines whether thepredetermined/predefined time interval has expired according to thecounting result of the timer. When the predetermined/predefined timeinterval has expired, the cell executes block 453. When thepredetermined/predefined time interval has not expired, the cellmaintains the current RAN profile settings and re-execute block 452.

In block 453, the cell (e.g., cell 310 a) determines whether tore-configure the current RAN profile indexing settings. The cell candetermine whether reconfiguration is needed based on the informationrelated to the network dynamics, such as channel condition, feedbackfrom the CN, and/or the capability report from the UE. When the celldetermines to re-configure the current RAN profile indexing settings,the cell executes block 455. Otherwise, the cell executes block 454 andmaintains the current RAN profile settings.

In block 455, after determined to re-configure the current RAN profileindexing settings, the cell (e.g., cell 310 a) may execute the RANprofile indexing operation, and reconfigure the RAN profile, flapping tothe physical layer, and the associated indexing settings. The cell mayupdate the RAN profile settings based on the information related tonetwork dynamics provided by the CN and/or cell loading.

In block 456, after the reconfiguration, the cell (e.g., cell 310 a) maybroadcast the updated RAN profile indexing message containing theupdated RAN profile indexing information within its cell coverage usinga BCH.

In one implementation, after the cell (e.g., cell 310 a) broadcasts theupdates or the changes to the RAN profile settings to notify the UEswithin its cell using the BCH, the cell may (re)initiate the timer andtransmit a predetermined/predefined time interval value to the UE usinga BCH. The predetermined/predefined time interval value may be the sameor different from the previously predetermined/predefined time intervalvalue.

The RAN profile indexing and physical layer configuration mapping may bealso transmitted to the UE through a dedicated RRC message, a periodicsystem information (SI), or on-demand SI. For example, after the cell(e.g., the cell 310 a) transmits the updated RAN profile settings usingBCH to notify a respective UE within its cell. The cell may initiate thetimer and transmit a dedicated RRC message containing the predefinedtime interval value to the specific UE by unicast using thecommunication link provided by the respective cell.

In another implementation, when the UE sends the request forreconfiguring the RAN profile information to the cell communicatedtherewith after the cell had just broadcasted the current RAN profileindexing message, the cell may not re-configure the current RAN profilesettings until after the expiration of the predetermined/predefined timeinterval.

Under a RAN sharing scenario (e.g., collocated cells for differentpublic land mobile networks (PLMNs)), the cells may have correspondingindexing and physical layer configuration mapping for each PLMN.Different PLMN networks may adopt different RAN profile settings basedon the applications/services provided.

User-Specific RAN Profile Indexing Implementation

Different from the cell-specific RAN profile implementation, under auser-specific RAN profile implementation, each UE may have its owndedicated RAN profile indexing and physical layer configuration mappinginformation within a cell coverage. The UEs within one cell coverage mayhave the same or have different RAN profile indexing settings.

FIG. 5 illustrates a user-specific RAN profile indexing operation,according to an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure.Exemplary radio communication system 500 includes a radio access network(RAN) and a core network (CN). The RAN includes cell 510 a and cell 510b. Each cell (e.g., cell 510 a or cell 510 b) covers a geographicalarea. the radio coverage of cells 510 a and cell 510 b may have anoverlapped geographical area as depicted in FIG. 5. The cells arecommunicatively linked to a base station (e.g., a physical base station,not explicitly shown in FIG. 5). The operations of cells 510 a and 510 bare coordinated by the base station. UEs 513 a and 513 b are presentlylocated within the radio coverage of cell 510 a, and served by cell 510a. UE 513 b is moving toward the cell 510 b, such that a handoverprocedure may be implemented to UE 513 b. During the handover procedure,cell 510 a is the source cell and cell 510 b is the target cell.

In FIG. 5, radio communication equipment 511 a may be deployed in cell510 a to provide the radio converge to the corresponding cell area.Radio communication equipment 511 a communicates with the base station,and provides services to the UEs 513 a and 513 b. Radio communicationequipment 511 b may be also deployed in cell 510 b to provide the radioconverge to the corresponding cell area. Radio communication equipment511 b communicates with the base station, and provides services to theUEs within its cell coverage.

UE 513 a and UE 513 b in the present implementation may supportdifferent physical layer configurations due to their differentcapabilities, therefore have different RAN profiles and physical layerconfigurations. UE 513 a and UE 513 b may have different sets of indicesand physical layer configuration mapping. Specifically, UE 513 a mayadopt indices 1 through 9 corresponding to PHY configurations 1 through9, respectively. UE 513 b may adopt indices r through 7′ correspondingto PHY configurations 1′ through 7′, respectively.

Cells 510 a and 510 b may execute RAN profile indexing operation basedon their individual communication capabilities, types of subscription,service requirements, and QoS requirements of UEs 513 a and 513 b.

In one implementation, the CN in radio communication system 500 mayrecommend the indexing and the PHY configuration setting related to UEindexing to cells 510 a and 510 b based on its network operationcriteria, such as fronthaul and backhaul capabilities. Different cellsmay require different PHY configurations to fulfill end-to-end latencyrequirements. In one implementation, the CN may include one or morenetwork elements for configuring RAN profile settings based on thenetwork operating criteria, such as the fronthaul capability between theUEs and the cells and/or the backhaul capability between the cells inradio communication system 500.

When a cell does not assign a RAN profile indexing to a UE, (e.g., didnot signal the UE with an assigned RAN profile indexing during an RRCconnection establishment phase), the UE may use a default PHYconfiguration for resource block processing during thetransmission/reception operations as depicted in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 6A shows a flowchart illustrating a method for a UE to communicatewith a cell, according to an exemplary implementation of the presentdisclosure.

In block 601, when a UE (e.g., UE 513 b) moves from one cell coverage(e.g., the radio coverage of cell 510 a) to a neighboring cell coverage(e.g., the radio coverage of cell 510 b), the UE establishes an RRCconnection with the neighboring cell.

In block 603, the UE (e.g., UE 513 b) determines whether the neighboringcell, now the serving cell, has assigned any RAN profile indexing to theUE.

When the UE (e.g., UE 513 b) determines that the serving cell (e.g.,cell 510 b) did not assign any RAN profile indexing to the UE, duringthe RRC connection establishment, the UE may execute block 607 toperform UL/DL/SL transmissions with the serving cell using a predefineddefault RAN profile setting. The default PHY configuration may bepre-configured and stored in a memory of the UE.

When the UE (e.g., UE 513 b) determines that the serving cell (e.g.,cell 510 b) assigned the RAN profile indexing to the UE, the UE executesblock 605 to perform UL/DL/SL transmissions with the serving cell (e.g.,cell 510 b) using an assigned RAN profile setting.

When the cell (e.g., cell 510 b) does assign a RAN profile indexing tothe UE, the cell may further indicate which respective RRC states (e.g.a connected state, an inactive state, or an idle state), that each indexof the RAN profile indexing could be applied for, as depicted by FIG.6B. In some other implementations, the cell may assign one RAN profileindexing with one specific RRC state. So, the cell may configure morethan one RAN profile indexing to the UE, where each RAN profile indexingis configured for a specific RRC state.

FIG. 6B is a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling RAN profileindexing under a user-specific RAN profile architecture, according to anexemplary implementation of the present application. When the cell doesnot indicate the RAN profile indexing during different states, the UEmay treat the RAN profile indexing as being common for all RRC states oronly limited for the current RRC state of the UE.

In block 621, when a UE (e.g., UE 513 b) moves from a cell coverage(e.g., the radio coverage of cell 510 a) to a neighboring cell coverage(e.g., the radio coverage of cell 510 b), the neighboring cell receivesa handover preparation request from the serving cell, and establishes anRRC connection with the UE (e.g., UE 513 b). In block 623, theneighboring cell (now the serving cell) (e.g., the cell 510 b)determines whether to assign a RAN profile indexing to the UE (e.g., theUE 513 b).

When the serving cell (e.g., cell 510 b) decides to assign a RAN profileindexing to the UE (e.g., UE 513 b) during an RRC connectionestablishment, the serving cell executes block 625 to transmit a DCImessage to the UE informing the assigned RAN profile indices and thecorresponding RRC states for subsequent UL/DL/SL transmissions, forexample, through unicast.

When the serving cell (e.g., cell 510 b) decides not to assign a RANprofile indexing to the UE (e.g., UE 513 b) during the RRC connectionestablishment, the cell executes block 627 to perform subsequentUL/DL/SL transmissions with the UE using a default RAN profile settingfor all RRC states.

In one implementation, a cell (e.g., cell 510 a or 510 b) may exchangethe RAN profile indexing associated with its serving UEs with aneighboring cell (e.g. during handover preparation stage) through an X2interface. When a UE (e.g., UE 513 b) moves from a cell coverage (e.g.,the radio coverage of cell 510 a) to a target cell coverage (e.g., theradio coverage of cell 510 b), the RAN profile indexing acquisitionprocedures may not be required when the target cell supports theoriginal RAN profile indexing (e.g., the RAN profile indexing andmapping at cell 510 a). Moreover, when no RAN profile indexing isreceived by the UE (e.g., UE 513 b) during the handover preparationstage, the UE may automatically assume to use the original RAN profileindexing for transmission/reception with the target cell (e.g., cell 510b) and other UE(s) in the sidelink.

Additionally, under the user-specific RAN profile, the RAN profileindexing may be re-configured either semi-statically or dynamicallywithin the same cell coverage (e.g., the radio coverage of cell 510 a or510 b). In one implementation, the cell (e.g., cell 510 a or 510 b) mayre-configure the RAN profile indexing for a specific UE based on therunning applications and operating conditions of the serving cell. Inanother implementation, the RAN profile indexing may be re-assigned,when the UE (e.g., UE 513 a or 513 b) is roaming in another PLMN. In yetanother implementation, the RAN profile indexing may be re-assigned,when the UE (e.g., the UE 513 a or 513 b) makes a state transition whenthe UE is moving from one cell to another (e.g., during a handoverprocess).

In one implementation, the cell (e.g., cell 510 a or 510 b) may transmitthe RAN profile indexing information by an RRC message or a media accesscontrol (MAC) control element (CE).

FIG. 6C is a flowchart illustrating a method for signaling RAN profileindexing under a user-specific RAN profile architecture, according to anexemplary implementation of the present application. In block 631, cell510 a configures a plurality of RAN profile settings (e.g., a pluralityof sets of RAN parameters), each of which maps to a corresponding one ofa plurality of physical layer configurations (e.g., PHY configurations),to at least one UE (e.g., UE 513 a and UE 513 b) within its cellcoverage. In block 633, cell 510 a assigns a corresponding index to eachof the plurality of RAN profile settings of UE 513 a and UE 513 b. Forexample, cell 510 a may assign indices 1 through 9 to PHY configurations1 through 9 of UE 513 a. Cell 510 a may also assign indices 1′ through7′ to PHY configurations 1′ through 7′ of UE 513 b.

In block 635, cell 510 a provides a RAN profile indexing message to eachof UE 513 a and UE 513 b, where each of the RAN profile indexingmessages contains information on the RAN profile settings (e.g., aplurality of sets of RAN parameters) and the corresponding indices. Cell510 a may provide the corresponding RAN profile indexing message to eachof UE 513 a and UE 513 b at predetermined (periodic or aperiodic) timeintervals. In one implementation, cell 510 a may provide differentpredetermined time intervals to UE 513 a and UE 513 b.

In block 637, cell 510 a transmits a DCI message to each of UE 513 a andUE 513 b to allocate resources to each UE. In block 639, cell 510 atransmits downlink data to each of UE 513 a and UE 513 b in thecorresponding allocated/assigned resource blocks in a PDSCH. In thepresent implementation, the messages (e.g., the RAN profile indexingmessages in block 635, and the DCI messages in block 637) are providedto UE 513 a and UE 513 b, for example, through unicast.

The present application further provides three aspects that areconsidered for indexing signaling procedure. The three aspects are: (I)Indexing Format for Index Signaling; (II) Acknowledgement of the RANprofile indexing and Physical layer configuration mapping from aspecific UE; (III) Notification for changes to RAN profile indexing.

I. Indexing Format for Indexing Signaling

In one implementation, the RAN profile indexing information may take theform of an information element (IE). FIG. 7 shows an exemplary indexformat in the form of an information element, according to an exemplaryimplementation of the present application.

As shown in FIG. 7, a RAN profile indexing format in the form of aninformation element (IE) comprises indices 0 through k, where k is aninteger, and each index is associated with a corresponding RAN parameterIE, which comprising a set of RAN parameters. Each RAN parameter IE mayinclude a set of physical layer configuration fields. The physical layerconfiguration may include, but is not limited to, a sub-carrier spacing,a multiplexing scheme, a channel coding scheme, a transmission timeinterval (TTI), a cyclic prefix and a modulation scheme, where the fieldaddresses may be associated with the adopted physical layer parameterslinked to the index assigned. In one implementation, the IE may furtherinclude the RRC states that each RAN profile index (or each RAN profileindexing) is associated with. Each index may be associated with a set offields within the IE.

For example, Index 0 may correspond to a sub-carrier spacing #1, amultiplexing #1, a channel coding scheme #2, a TTI #1, a CP #1, and amodulation scheme #1. Index 1 may correspond to a sub-carrier spacing#1, a multiplexing #1, a channel coding scheme #1, a TTI #1, a CP #1,and a modulation scheme #1. Index k may correspond to a sub-carrierspacing #1, a multiplexing #3, a channel coding scheme #1, a TTI #2, aCP #1, and a modulation scheme #4.

It may be advantageous to have the IE cover more transmission relatedparameters. Thus, the IE shall not be limited by the listedfields/elements shown in FIG. 7. Moreover, a cell may optionally appendthe fields in the IE based on its determination from the channelcondition, the network system capability, and the UE's capability. Forthe fields that do not appear in the IE, the UE is to apply a set ofdefault parameters.

Among other advantages, using information element to conveying RANprofile indexing for signaling procedure allows a cell to flexiblyconstruct PHY configurations and to map the PHY configurations to therespective information elements based on the criteria, such as channelcondition, service requirement, quality of service (QoS) requirementsand the like.

FIG. 8 illustrates a diagram of a bitmap indexing format, according toan exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. In FIG. 8, apredetermined bitmap 810 may be used by a cell for signaling RAN profileindexing. Bitmap 810 has a fixed length and limited number ofcomponents. The components include, but are not limited to, sub-carrierspacing 821, channel coding 823, TTI value 825, and CP length 827. Bitscan be allocated to represent the physical layer configuration settings,such as a sub-carrier spacing value, a channel coding mode, a TTI value,a CP length value, a multiplexing mode, and/or a frame type mode. Thecell may configure the specific PHY configuration setting bymanipulating specific bits. The UE can later translate the specificbitmaps to the dedicated PHY configurations.

A cell may include a network element specifying the payload lengths ofall indexing formats, and append the bitmap for each associated index.The bitmap format of RAN profile indexing is valid for all cells and UEswithin the radio communication system and UEs regardless ofcell-specific or user-specific RAN profile indexing.

II. Acknowledgement of RAN Profile Indexing for a Specific UE

In practice, a UE may or may not support all of the physical layerconfiguration settings (e.g., PHY configurations) defined by the servingcell. Thus, it is necessary for the UE to transmit an acknowledgemessage or a confirmation message to the cell, after receiving the RANprofile indexing information.

In one implementation, when the cell signals the RAN profile indexinginformation in a unicast manner to a specific UE within its cellcoverage (e.g., a user-specific scenario), the UE may respond with aconfirmation message upon receiving the RAN profile indexinginformation. More specifically, when the UE is capable of supporting allthe indices that the cell has assigned, the confirmation message is anacknowledge message (e.g., ACK message), indicating that all RAN profileindexing currently defined is applicable.

When the UE does not support one or more indices, the confirmationmessage may contain a list of one or more RAN profile indices that arenot supported by the UE, indicating one or more PHY configurations thatare not supported by the UE. The UE may further indicate in theconfirmation message the reasons why the UE does not support the PHYconfigurations. The cell operatively performs scheduling andtransmission operations based on the type of confirmation messagereceived from the UE after a predetermined period of time, andfacilitates the subsequent processing accordingly. The predeterminedperiod of time starts counting after the cell transmits the RAN profileindexing information to the UE by unicast transmission.

Under the user-specific RAN profile indexing scenario, a cell mayre-configure the current RAN profile indexing and PHY configurationsupon receiving the confirmation message. Specifically, the cell mayre-configure or modify the current indexing and PHY configurationsettings based on the list of unsupported RAN profile indexinginformation received from the UE.

In one implementation, the cell may signal the RAN profile indexinginformation in a broadcast manner (e.g., by a system informationmessage) to one or more UEs within its radio coverage (e.g., acell-specific scenario). During the establishment of an RRC connection,a UE may acquire the RAN profile indexing information from the servingcell, and report its capability during a UE capability negotiationprocess.

More specifically, an indexing confirm information element (IE) may beappended in a UECapabilityInformation message to indicate the invalid orunsupported RAN profile indexing. Under the cell-specific scenario, thecell does not re-configure the current RAN profile indexing afterreceiving the indexing confirm IE. Moreover, if the UE sends aUECapabilityInformation message to the cell indicating the RAN profileindexing that the UE does not support, the cell is configured to recordthe UE capability information, and avoids using the specific RAN profileindexing for the respective UE during scheduling operation. If a UE doesnot support all the RAN profile indexing defined by the serving cell,the serving cell is to serve the particular UE with a default slicingsetting, (e.g., considering the respective UE as a legacy UE).

In one implementation, when the UE, of which the cell is communicatingwith, is in an idle state, the UE is not required to send an acknowledgeor confirmation signal. Instead, the cell is required to ensure that theRAN profile indexing and the associated physical layer configurationmapping for idle state is supported by all UEs.

III. Notification for the Changes to RAN Profile Indexing

A cell may re-configure the RAN profile indexing. In one implementation,the cell may re-configure the RAN profile indexing upon request from theUE (e.g., a user-specific setting), the core network, and/or theneighboring cell. The RAN profile indexing reconfiguration may includeat least one of adding a new RAN profile indexing and the associatedphysical layer configuration mapping, deleting an existing RAN profileindexing, modifying the physical layer configuration for a specific RANprofile indexing, and canceling all of the existing RAN profile indexingand the associated physical layer configuration mapping.

In one implementation, the cell may transmit anRRCConnectionReconfiguration message or a specific system informationwith an action field specifying the changes to the RAN profile to theserving UEs. The bits specified in the action field in theRRCConnectionReconfiguration message are used to indicate the changes toRAN profile information. Table 1 below illustrates an example of RRCprofile indexing change notification.

TABLE 1 RRC Profile Indexing Change Notification. Bits Action 00 Add 01Delete 10 Modify 11 Cancel

When the action field is set to “00”, the cell indicates that a new RANprofile indexing and mapping corresponding to a PHY configuration isadded. When the action field is set to “01”, the cell indicates that aspecified RAN profile indexing is removed from the RAN profile indexinglisting. When the action field is set to “10”, the cell indicates that achange is made to an existing RAN profile indexing setting. Moreover, ifthe cell uses the information element for RAN profile indexingsignaling, the cell may transmit the RAN profile indexing with deltainformation representing the modified portion of the physical layerconfiguration. If the cell uses the bitmap form for RAN profile indexingsignaling, the cell may transmit a new bitmap.

In another implementation, the cell may use an RRC message, such asProfileAdd, ProfileDelete, ProfileModify, or ProfileCancel, for variousactions to the RAN profile indexing settings.

After the UE receives the change notification of RAN profile indexing,the UE may respond with a confirmation message to acknowledge thesupport of the RAN profile changes.

The present application provides a RAN profile indexing operation forcell-specific RAN profile indexing. FIG. 9A shows a diagram illustratinga method for RAN profile signaling, according to an exemplaryimplementation of the present application.

In block 901, a cell transmits (e.g., periodically, aperiodically, oron-demand) to a UE a system information block x (SIBx), containingcell-specific RAN profile indexing information, where all RAN profileindexing in the cell-specific RAN profile is common (e.g., the same)among all UEs served by the cell. The cell may use bitmap form indexingsignaling to indicate the associated PHY configuration for therespective index. An exemplary form of SIBx is provided below merely forillustration,

SIBx{ Index 0:= 010111 . . . 10; Index 1:= 100111 . . . 11; . . . Index4:= 001010 . . . 01 }.

In block 903, the cell and the UE perform an RRC connection procedureand establish an RRC connection for subsequent data transmission.

In block 905, while the UE performs the RRC connection establishment,the UE receives the SIBx and records the RAN profile information of thecell for later data transmission and reception with the respectiveserving cell. The UE may further determine and verify which RAN profileindex the UE does not support based on the UE capability.

In block 907, the UE transmits a UECapabilityInformation message (e.g.,RAN Profile Index 3) to the serving cell reporting one or more indicesthat the UE does not support.

In block 909, the cell transmits a DCI message to the UE upon PDCCH toindicate the resource block allocation processing for the UE.

In block 911, the cell transmits another SIBx to re-configure the RANprofile indexing. Specifically, when the cell decides to re-configureone specific indexing (e.g., upon receiving the request from UE(s) orthe request from the CN or based on the operating requirement of thecell), the cell appends the action field in theRRCConnectionReconfiguration message or paging message to indicate thechanges in the SIBx.

For example, when the cell modifies Index 1 from “100111 . . . 111” to“111111 . . . 111”, the cell may page the UE and transmit a new SIBx ata predefined time (e.g., after the modification period). The UE mayrespond to the cell with a confirmation message if the changes to theRAN profile indexing is unsupported by UE or an acknowledge message ifthe UE is capable of supporting the changes.

The present application provides a RAN profile indexing operation foruser-specific RAN profile indexing. FIG. 9B shows a diagram illustratinga method for RAN profile signaling, according to an exemplaryimplementation of the present application. Since the cell in the presentimplementation adopts user-specific RAN profile indexing, not RANprofile indexing need to be transmitted in all system information (SI).Instead, a UE will first indicate its capability.

In block 921, a UE transmits a UECapabilityInformation message to aserving cell indicating the capability of the UE.

In block 923, the serving cell and the UE perform an RRC connectionprocedure and establish an RRC connection for subsequent datatransmission.

In block 925, after establishing the RRC connection, the serving celltransmits an RRCConnectionConfiguration message containing RAN profileindexing information element (IE) to the UE to indicate thecorresponding RAN profile indexing for the UE based on theUECapabilityInformation message.

An exemplary form of the RRCConnectionConfiguration message may be:

RRCConnectionConfiguration{ Profile Indexing IE; Index 0:= Spacing # 1,Multiplexing #3 . . . Index 1:= Spacing # 4, Multiplexing #1 . . . . . .Index 3:= Spacing # 2, Multiplexing #1 . . . }

In block 927, the UE transmits a Profileconfirm message after receivingthe RRCConnectionConfiguration message to the serving cell to indicateall of the invalid RAN profile indices (e.g., the mapped physical layerconfiguration setting indicating unsupported by the UE).

In block 929, upon receiving the Profileconfirm message from the UE, theserving cell transmits a DCI message to the UE in a PDCCH to indicatethe resource block allocation processing for the UE.

In block 931, the serving cell transmits a ProfileAdd message to add anadditional RAN profile indexing newly defined when the cell determinesto reconfigure the current RAN profile settings for the respective UE.

An exemplary implementation of the present disclosure provides anon-transitory computer-readable media, for storing a computerexecutable program for the aforementioned methods for signaling RANprofile indexing (e.g., as depicted by FIGS. 2, 4A, 4B, and 6B), for aUE to communicate with a serving cell (e.g., as depicted by FIG. 6A),for user-specific and cell-specific RAN profile indexing reconfiguration(e.g., as depicted respectively in FIGS. 4C, 9A, and 9B). When thenon-transitory computer readable recording medium is read by a processorwith communication processing capability, the processor executes theaforementioned RAN profile indexing methods as well as user-specific andcell specific RAN profile indexing methods. The non-transitorycomputer-readable media may be a floppy disk, a hard disk, a compactdisk (CD), a flash drive, a magnetic tape, accessible online storagedatabase or any type of storage media having similar functionality, suchas storing program instructions or data, known to those skilled in theart.

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram illustrating a radio communicationequipment for a cell, according to an exemplary implementation of thepresent application. The radio communication equipment may be configuredto implement the RAN profile indexing algorithm depicted in FIG. 2. InFIG. 10, radio communication equipment 1000 includes antenna module1010, communication module 1020, memory 1030, and processing unit 1040.Antenna module 1010 is coupled to communication module 1020.Communication module 1020 and memory 1030 are configured to couple toprocessing unit 1040.

Antenna module 1010 may comprise one or more antennas, and may beconfigured to perform beamforming omni-transmission with one or more UEswithin its serving cell. Communication module 1020 may comprise one ormore transmitters and one or more receivers for allowing the cell toperform data transmission and reception with the UEs within its cellcoverage using antenna module 1010.

Processing unit 1040 is configured to control the operation of the celland function as the central processing core for the cell. Memory 1020 isconfigured to store program instructions for the execution by processingunit 1040. Memory 1020 is further configured to allocate a memory spacefor storing RAN profile indexing data and the corresponding physicallayer configuration settings. The program instructions stored uponexecution by processing unit 1040, causes the processing unit 1040 toimplement one or more the aforementioned methods for signaling RANprofile indexing.

In one implementation, radio communication equipment 1000 may furtherinclude a timer (not explicitly shown in FIG. 10). The timer isconfigured for timing a predefined time interval after that radiocommunication equipment 1000 signals the RAN profile indexinginformation to the one or more UEs within its radio coverage usingbroadcast or unicast transmission. During the predefined time interval,radio communication equipment 1000 may not make any updates to itscurrent RAN profile indexing and PHY configurations.

Additionally, radio communication equipment 1000 may further includeother necessary network elements for supporting the network operationsof the cell may not be essential to the present application. The detailsof such elements are hereby omitted for brevity.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A method for signaling configuration index, themethod comprising: transmitting, by a cell, a configuration indexingmessage to a user equipment (UE), the configuration indexing messagecomprising a plurality of sets of parameters corresponding to aplurality of configurations, and a plurality of indices corresponding tothe plurality of sets of parameters; and transmitting, by the cell, adownlink control information (DCI) message to the UE indicating at leastone resource block (RB) allocated for the UE, and at least one indexcorresponding to at least one set of parameters in the plurality of setsof parameters.
 22. The method of claim 21 further comprising: receiving,by the cell, a confirmation message from the UE that indicates at leastone of the plurality of indices that is associated with a configurationnot supported by the UE.
 23. The method of claim 22, whereintransmitting the DCI message comprises transmitting, by the cell, theDCI message to the UE based on the confirmation message received fromthe UE.
 24. The method of claim 22 further comprising: reconfiguring, bythe cell, the plurality of sets of parameters and the correspondingplurality of indices based on the confirmation message; and transmittinga radio resource control (RRC) message to the UE indicating changes tothe plurality of sets of parameters and the corresponding plurality ofindices, wherein the changes to the plurality of sets of parameters andthe corresponding plurality of indices comprise at least one of adding anew index for a new configuration, removing an existing index, modifyingone of the plurality of sets of parameters, and canceling at least oneof the plurality of indices.
 25. The method of claim 21 furthercomprising: receiving, by the cell, an acknowledgement message from theUE indicating that the UE supports all of the plurality of indices inthe configuration indexing message.
 26. The method of claim 21 furthercomprising: maintaining the plurality of sets of parameters and thecorresponding plurality of indices after transmitting the configurationindexing message to the UE for a predefined time period.
 27. The methodof claim 26 further comprising: reconfiguring, after an expiration ofthe predefined time period, the plurality of sets of parameters and thecorresponding plurality of indices; and transmitting an RRC message tothe UE indicating the reconfigured plurality of sets of parameters andthe corresponding plurality of indices.
 28. The method of claim 21,wherein transmitting the configuration indexing message comprisesbroadcasting the configuration indexing message to the UE using a systeminformation (SI) message.
 29. The method of claim 28, wherein thebroadcasting the configuration indexing message using the SI messagecomprises broadcasting the SI message periodically using a broadcastingchannel (BCH).
 30. The method of claim 21, wherein transmitting theconfiguration indexing message comprises signaling the configurationindexing message to the UE using a unicast RRC message.
 31. The methodof claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of sets of parameterscomprises at least one of a subcarrier spacing value, a channel codingmode and cyclic prefix length value, a transmission time interval (TTI)value, and a multiplexing mode.
 32. A base station comprising: one ormore non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-executableinstructions for signaling configuration index; and at least oneprocessor coupled to the one or more non-transitory computer-readablemedia, and configured to execute the computer-executable instructionsto: transmit a configuration indexing message to a user equipment (UE),the configuration indexing message comprising a plurality of sets ofparameters corresponding to a plurality of configurations, and aplurality of indices corresponding to the plurality of sets ofparameters; and transmit a downlink control information (DCI) message tothe UE indicating at least one resource block (RB) allocated for the UE,and at least one index corresponding to at least one set of parametersin the plurality of sets of parameters.
 33. The base station of claim32, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to executethe computer-executable instructions to: receive a confirmation messagefrom the UE that indicates at least one of the plurality of indices thatis associated with a configuration not supported by the UE.
 34. The basestation of claim 33, wherein the computer-executable instructions totransmit the DCI message comprise computer-executable instructions totransmit the DCI message to the UE based on the confirmation messagereceived from the UE.
 35. The base station of claim 32, wherein the atleast one processor is further configured to execute thecomputer-executable instructions to: reconfigure the plurality of setsof parameters and the corresponding plurality of indices based on theconfirmation message; and transmit a radio resource control (RRC)message to the UE indicating changes to the plurality of sets ofparameters and the corresponding plurality of indices, wherein thechanges to the plurality of sets of parameters and the correspondingplurality of indices comprise at least one of adding a new index for anew configuration, removing an existing index, modifying one of theplurality of sets of parameters, and canceling at least one of theplurality of indices.
 36. The base station of claim 32, wherein each ofthe plurality of sets of parameters comprises at least one of asubcarrier spacing value, a channel coding mode and cyclic prefix lengthvalue, a transmission time interval (TTI) value, and a multiplexingmode.
 37. The base station of claim 32, wherein the at least oneprocessor is further configured to execute the computer-executableinstructions to: maintain the plurality of sets of parameters and thecorresponding plurality of indices after transmitting the configurationindexing message to the UE for a predefined time period.
 38. The basestation of claim 37, wherein the at least one processor is furtherconfigured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:reconfigure, after an expiration of the predefined time period, theplurality of sets of parameters and the corresponding plurality ofindices; and transmit an RRC message to the UE indicating thereconfigured plurality of sets of parameters and the correspondingplurality of indices.
 39. The base station of claim 32, wherein thecomputer-executable instructions to transmit the configuration indexingmessage comprise computer-executable instructions to broadcast theconfiguration indexing message to the UE using a system information (SI)message.
 40. The base station of claim 39, wherein thecomputer-executable instructions to broadcast the configuration indexingmessage using the SI message comprise computer-executable instructionsto broadcast the SI message periodically using a broadcasting channel(BCH).